Doug is a cheese pizza kind of guy. A honeymoon cruise around the Caribbean is the most adventurous thing he’s ever done. Going on that honeymoon alone is unthinkable, but here he is, with a luxury suite and a broken heart.
Tripp is a hopeless romantic. He’s in a sinking relationship that’s been taking on water for months. He’d throw in the towel if he had one, but he’s naked and locked out of … locked out of his room.
No one should be on a cruise alone, and Tripp has a simple solution: he and Doug will pretend to be husbands and enjoy everything a week of sea and sun has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, can a cheese pizza kind of guy be brave enough to give love a second chance?
Honeymoon Sweet is a 63k contemporary MM romance. It’s sweet enough to require a trip to the dentist, and hot enough you’ll need a swim to cool off when it’s over. HEA guaranteed.
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Honeymoon Sweet was just the book I needed this week! I devoured it, trying to rush through my to-do list so I could get back to reading ASAP. With fun, relatable characters, silly pet names, great dialogue, and a fake marriage turned sweet love story, this book was an instant mood lift and one I know I’ll be recommending a lot.
The meet cute in Honeymoon Sweet was absolutely adorable, and the book got even better from there. I loved both characters. Doug was incredibly gentle-hearted and Tripp seemed like that fun person you need most in your corner; and together, these two were gold. I loved how they fit, with Tripp supporting Doug and Doug grounding Tripp. It felt easy and natural, but their story also had substance, creating a well-rounded romance.
The fake relationship trope is a favorite of mine and Honeymoon Sweet definitely capitalized on the palpable chemistry between Tripp and Doug. The author thoroughly developed the emotional and physical connection between the men and it was easy to forget just how fast things were happening for them. I was also a bit surprised that on top of a sweet, fun romance, there was a good deal of heat as well. Even the conflict and resolution were done right, with a completely satisfying happily-ever-after. Best of all, the build-up and emerging feelings happened on page, bringing the reader along for the ride and keeping me invested cover to cover. If you are in need of a sweet romance that won’t make your teeth hurt, but will make you happy sigh, Honeymoon Sweet is absolutely worth the read.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***
As first meetings can go, Doug and Tripp’s was one of the top most hilarious I’ve read about. Maybe it wasn’t that hilarious for the two men involved in the scene, but it did start off incredibly the high quality of humor for the rest of the book.
Doug and Tripp couldn’t have met at a better, or worse?, time in both their lives, with Doug recently left at the altar and Tripp at the last treads of his relationship with Liam. So, neither was looking for a fling on the cruise and definitely didn’t expected to connect with each other as strongly as they did. They’d only intended to spend time together, just to not be alone and lonely among the other laughing, joyful passengers. Because really, after the embarrassment of Tripp flashing his backside and Doug ugly crying on Tripp’s shoulder, and with seeing each other at their worst out of the way, it meant that everything happening next was bound to be only fun.
And it most definitely was fun. When I didn’t laugh out loud, I had a smile plastered on my face, because even when Doug and Tripp were having their moments of insecurities, or were questioning their life choices, the author soon followed with some joke or shenanigan… or with a kiss or rump between the sheets, just to lighten the mood. I liked the fact that, even while the two men enjoyed the romantic locations of their trip – and each other, of course – they took the time to look inside themselves, to try to build their self trust and consolidate their self esteem. It made it so that when they disembarked the cruise ship, they might have been insecure of the possibility of a future together, or questioning how long-lasting their feelings truly were, buy they never doubted how much they were worth or deserved. And, of course Doug deserved Tripp, and Tripp deserved Doug.
Honeymoon Sweet has a healthy dose of lightness to it, with moments of sadness and introspection amazingly woven with fun, tenderness and the most steaming chemistry. I loved how Doug and Tripp found each other and how their relationship developed, and I absolutely loved every page of this sweet, funny and emotional story.
I really enjoyed book one in this series, but Honeymoon Sweet was an absolute delight which gave me a massive smile all the way through.
Allison has taken a familiar trope, the fake husband/boyfriend, and given it a cute little spin with two characters who are perfectly suited for each other in every way.
We met Doug in book one, he’s the Out and About Queer Festival Programme Director, and when we pick up with him, he’s setting off alone on his Honeymoon cruise after his fiance failed to show and sent a text instead.
Tripp is an absolute darling, Doug bumps into him literally naked and locked outside his cabin after a row with his workaholic boyfriend. There’s an attraction but Doug’s a mess and Tripp’s with someone but things develop both quickly and organically and the two find themselves in a fake marriage and on their honeymoon.
What follows is joyous, as they fall in love over snorkelling, white water rafting and shared breakfasts.
There wasn’t a bit of this book that didn’t work for me, from the realistic way the conflict point arose and the conclusion to it. The Epilogue is as sweet as the title.
I hope there’s more to come in this series.
A fun and sweet story.
Honeymoon Sweet is a nice and fluffy insta-love type story that made me smile a lot while reading it. There are some sad parts (Doug was left at the altar) but they are quickly overshadowed by all of the fun stuff. While this is book two of the Out & About series it is a standalone story.
One of the things that attracted me to this book is that the majority of it takes place on a cruise. My hubby and I discovered cruising about 6 years ago and I’ve now lost count of how many we’ve been on since then. All of the descriptions of the cruise were pretty darned accurate. I was happy that none of the scenes involved both guys getting into the shower at the same time because I could never see that happening based on the ships I’ve been on. LOL
The activities that Doug and Tripp get up to on the cruise brought back a lot of happy memories I have of cruising (I’m not talking about the sexy time!). I love the scene where they participate in the traditional Newlywed Game; that is always so much fun to watch on a cruise.
The story also touched my heart. I felt bad for Doug being jilted at the last minute with no explanation coming from his fiancé. Tripp was such a sweet and sexy character. He really got into his role of temporary husband to Doug. He always falls fast and hard for guys and it’s never turned out well for him so he’s really leery of the feelings he’s having for Doug. Tripp knows it’s more and different from anything he’s ever felt for a guy before but he’s afraid to trust himself.
This really was a great, mostly light-hearted, book with a fantastic setting and characters that I found very likeable.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
The beginning of this story finds us smack dab at Doug and Tripp’s meet-cute, and it is exactly that. Unfortunately, the timing is off…or is it? Tripp can’t help himself with his desire to help Doug, and Doug…well…he’s just the best thing this side of sliced bread, and before long, Tripp finds his circumstances have changed and he offers to accompany Doug for the rest of the cruise. Sure, offering to be someone’s fake husband, so Doug doesn’t have to spend the rest of what should have been his honeymoon explaining things to people, or looking so dejected and alone, is just being nice, but will the lines between what’s fake and what’s real blur? That’s the question I was dying to find out.
This is the first book I’ve read by Allison Temple, and I can assure you, it won’t be the last. She had me hooked from the beginning. From the meet-cute, their internal struggles about the connection they were both feeling towards each other, albeit its horrible timing, to the final chapter; I was gripped. The way they connected…it was both beautiful and fun to watch unfold throughout the story and love, love, LOVED Tripp’s nicknames for Dougie Doug.
Tripp and Doug are characters you will fall in love with. You won’t be able to help yourself. Doug has been through some tough times, emotionally, and has lost himself. Tripp sees that, and he decides to make it his mission to allow Doug the space he needs to truly be himself. I wanted to hug Tripp for that. I wanted to hug Doug every time he allowed his true self to shine through. His rediscovery was…well, I smiled a lot. Let me just leave it at that. Tripp has his own dialogue, in his head, on how he’s handled past relationships, but he didn’t try to one up Doug. He made this all about Doug, but by doing that, he gained so much more than he planned for.
This book can be read as a stand-alone, but it is part of a series. Doug’s place of employment is the connection between the stories, and towards the end, you catch a glimpse of the characters from the first book. While it isn’t necessary to have read the first one, reading this book will make you want to.
I had a huge book hangover after reading this book. In fact, I procrastinated reading it after I hit 37% because I knew I wouldn’t want it to end. Once I got to 87%, I put it down for an hour because I REALLY, REALLY didn’t want it to end. This book has won a permanent place on my TBRA (to be read again) list. I highly recommend it be added to yours. You won’t regret it.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement.***
Boy oh boy oh boy…what a trip this book was. Doug and Tripp are the best.
This started out sooooo slow you guys and to be honest I was fine with it. I liked that they didn’t fell hard from the get go, because it was such a beautiful thing to see Doug coming out of his shell and pain that his ex left him with. I absolutely loved Tripp. He was thoughtful, caring and simply wanted to help Doug. But the more time they spent together the more they fell for each other.
Even though this story is fast paced it felt real and believable. Once again I was immensely enjoying myself with Allison Temple book.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
I thought Honeymoon Sweet was just adorable. I loved the way Tripp and Doug met and how their romance developed on the cruise ship. The story was so sweet, fast-paced and super hot and sexy. And it’s about Canadians, so they hold a spot in my heart for that too. I definitely recommend this book.
Tripp is flaky, and Doug is a bit wishy washy. Neither is perfect, but from their first meeting (a naked Tripp in the hallway), they are perfect for each other.
Doug is understandably sad after having been dumped at the altar. Throughout the book, he realizes escaping marrying Calvin isn’t a bad thing. Unfortunately Doug can sometimes be slow to make decisions and lets life carry him along instead of actively participating. He is a little maddening in that respect toward the end of the book, but he finally grows a backbone and decides to chart his own course.
Tripp is a trip. He is in love with love and wants desperately to find the ONE. He has kissed a lot of frogs on the path to finding his prince. After meeting someone, he paints a rosy picture of their HEA, moves in with them after only a few dates, and watches the fantasy relationship crash and burn 2hen real life catches up. While it starts the same with Doug, he realizes the feelings are different. This time they are real.
I liked the first book the best, but this one is cute, funny, and lighthearted. I would definitely continue reading the series.
3.5 stars
Doug and Tripp were both on vacation, but neither expected to end up alone. Tripp’s effort to save a relationship that he couldn’t accept was no good to keep and Doug’s effort to salvage something from his life before it seemingly fell apart came together and gave them both a chance at the kind of happiness they’d always wanted.
I liked Doug’s sensitivity and how most of his perspective throughout the story focused on accepting and coming to terms with the reality of his relationship, how it ended, and what he wanted for the future. Along the way it was easy to fall in love with Tripp and his enthusiasm, understanding, and authenticity. Tripp’s perspective was a bit…not shallow, but not too deep either because he didn’t really realize the truth about his own behaviors until his best friend pointed it out to him just before the grand gesture was made, and not by him either. They eventually did get to the place where they should be, it just took a bit for all the pieces to come together.
There was a definite slow burn in terms of actual physically doing the deed and I liked that. It would have felt unnatural and unbelievable for them to jump into bed before their heads were in the right place. When they did get there it was suitably steamy. Sometimes it got in the way of having the mature discussions about their future that they needed, but that was down to Tripp and his moments of cowardice. Doug was all in and I loved that about him, but mostly that he didn’t let the surprise at the end of the cruise set him on a path away from Tripp. The writing kind of suggested that it did once they went home, but it was actually pretty obvious that his physical responses were proof of his commitment to Tripp and not his past. One exception would be the cafe scene, that was a little disjointed for me, but it got Doug moving so it wasn’t all bad.
This story had a soft and cute vibe all the way throughout and while not super deep, it was deep enough to be believable, that they’d actually have a real shot at a forever happiness. It fit with the first story and sets a good tone for the series to continue from here as well.
I enjoyed every minute of Tripp and Doug’s story. They found true romance as fake husbands on what should have been Doug’s honeymoon with the man who abandoned him on their wedding day. Doug was sweet and sensitive, and Tripp was fun and flirty. They were so adorable together. Then, as Doug began to come back from his heartbreak, he realized that his feelings for Tripp were more than temporary. How could this work in the real world though, when Tripp and Doug lived on opposite sides of Canada?
This romance was sweet, funny, and very sexy. The outings the men went on were some of my favorite parts of the book, as we got to see Doug open up to a bit of adventure, and we got to see Tripp fall more and more for the other man. I absolutely loved Tripp and Doug, and I happily recommend their story.
I was all in on this one from beginning to end.
The author drew a beautiful, lonely picture of these two sweet guys, even as they met and made their unsure way to each other.
I enjoyed watching them as their confidence grew, allowing them to connect emotionally with each other.
After the beginning, there isn’t a lot of angst between them. This allowed me to come to know Doug and Tripp without a bunch of mental trauma gumming up the works. Yes, Doug’s reason for being on the ship is especially traumatic, but after a while, it becomes more of an afterthought.
There is pain, passion, humor, acceptance, and love within these pages, and I felt it all with them.
I am satisfied with their HEA and am confident in their future.
I look forward to more from this author.
This is an absolutely adorable fun book with awesome characters. Doug is on his honeymoon cruise without his groom. But he still has a gentle heart. Tripp is locked out of his cabin that he is sharing with his boyfriend, on the same cruise, sans cloths. These two meet and have a connection and help each other out.
This was such a sweet romance I definitely recommend this book!
One was jilted at the altar. One is in a failing relationship.
Even though Doug got jilted, through the urging of his family, he went on what was supposed to be his honeymoon cruise all by himself. But he is wallowing thinking of what went wrong. What had made his fiancee not talk to him that he didn’t want to proceed with the wedding.
Tripp and his boyfriend are supposed to work on their relationship while on this cruise, but it looks like its mostly the same as when they are on dry land, nothing is changing. His boyfriend is still hard at work. Maybe this is not working for both of them at all.
Deciding to fake being married in order not to spend being alone on this cruise could be the best decision they ever made. I love how sweet this story is. I love Doug and Tripp so much. I love how their dynamic work, how they are attuned to each other, especially Tripp. He is so sweet to Doug in all the ways that count. And I think that is what Doug really needs and what Tripp has really been looking for in all his relationships. So so sweet!
This is a sweet, quick read that allows us to follow two men who find out who they are and what they need from a partner as they navigate the less than ideal situations they dealing with. The story takes place primarily on a cruise ship where Doug is supposed to be on his honeymoon and Tripp is on a vacation with a workaholic boyfriend trying to repair their relationship. Their first meeting is highly unusual but provides the start to a friendship that rescues them both.
I really enjoyed the way the author uses the downward trajectory of the MCs relationships to document their self-discovery and the deepening of the relationship they develop between them. It was also fun, having been on my first cruise this past year, to read the way the author used the usual aspects of cruise life to also enhance the relationship development as well as the character development. There are points where the story arc slows a bit and some of the self-reflection gets repetitive but overall the story is well told and entertaining.
The ending is sweet and classic romance tale. And after the moment in one of the final scenes I’m curious about Doug’s boss and will go back and read that previous book from this series.
Honeymoon Sweet is such a lovely story. I devoured it in one day. Allison Temple has set up such a great conflict here. Tripp and Doug meet on a cruise, one that they were both meant to take with their significant others. Tripp is there with a boyfriend who can’t step away from his work, and Doug’s fiance just became an ex. Neither of them is looking for love when Doug runs into a naked Tripp in the ship’s corridor, but they can’t avoid it. The story is fun, heartwarming and very sexy.
Cruisin’ for a better partner!
4.5stars
With a great meet-cute, two sympathetic Canadian guys and some deservedly left-and-forgotten exes, this sunny cruise romance was truly an enjoyable read. Toronto-based Doug needs to recover from being left at the altar; Vancouver resident Tripp has to accept that his latest in a long line of boyfriends is a workaholic who has trouble leaving business behind to enjoy a week’s holiday focusing on twosome fun in the sun.
I loved how Tripp’s patient and supportive attitude brought Doug out of his doldrums and despair and got him to take real pleasure at new things. These guys sizzled in private but the frank conversations, hand holding, laughter and outside activities lent the story a romantic vibe that got really touching as the cruise came to an end and the real world slammed back into their lives. Lovely ending too.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.
This pretend marriage romance was sweet, funny, emotional and refreshing. Doug and Tripp had a really funny meet cute and from there the cruise just seemed to spiral outward. These men brought out so much emotion that I laughed and cried during the entire book. I highly recommend this book!